#happy todoroki

[dira333]

Passing Peonies - Post War Touya Todoroki - Part I

When the war ended, Midoriya Izuku had proven one thing: That Villains did not need to be killed to be defeated. That you could make friends from enemies.

Touya Todoroki, formerly known as Dabi, had been one of those taken into the rehabilitation program. After one year of intense physical and psychological therapy, he's got the chance to prove himself. To prove that he can be a part of this world.

Complete fic length: 30.600 words - Masterlist

Warnings: poor mental health and resentment against past actions is mentioned, burn scars etc. as well. There is angst but this is mostly soft Touya coming back to his family...

Part 1: (1,9k)

Questioning his own sanity isn’t something he likes doing but standing in front of the tiny flower shop, Touya Todoroki can’t help but do so.

One year might have passed since the war, a year filled with intense therapy both on his body and mind, but still only a year and not a lifetime. 

“Do you want to skip it?” Shouto asks behind him, eyes trailing over the display of flowers outside the shop, the amount of it almost blocking the sidewalk. 

Had it been Fuyumi or Natsuo with him today, they’d already marched right inside, the two of them more annoyed with the lack of positive responses than he was.

But it’s Shouto who asked to accompany him today and Shouto like to ask for his opinion on every single thing first, whether it was which seat he preferred to sit in the car - the back seat - or how he liked his morning coffee - black, two pieces of sugar. 

-

The flower shop is tiny, crammed into the small space between a coffee shop and a drugstore, with wooden chairs and tables covered in plants right outside the too-small windows. 

He imagines the owner to be a little old lady, back arched under years of hard work. She’d throw him out the moment she realizes who he is. Or maybe it’s some uptight dick of a man, who thinks selling flowers is the hip thing to do. Which would end in a similar scenario, just maybe with more obscenities. 

He’d been cleared to start work in the rehabilitation program, given a list of employers who offered a part-time job for ex-criminals for a small amount of financial assistance. But even if they offer part-time jobs, he still has to apply for them and pass. So far he’s only collected rejections.

-

A bell chimes as Touya opens the door and he can’t help but snort at the interior. 

It feels like stepping into a tiny jungle, barely contained by the four walls of the building.

Cut flowers of all colors, sizes, and kinds are creatively dispersed between plants that grow up the walls or droop from the ceilings.

The smell is intoxicating and he can hear Shouto take a deep breath behind him.

“Hello?” He calls out when he can’t spot the owner. “I’m here for the interview?”

“Oh, of course.” A sweet, almost timid voice, calls out from the back, “Touya Todoroki, was it?” 

He can hear the clicking of heels, a plant is pulled back and a smiling face appears. 

That’s the first sign. This is his sixth interview this week and none of the others have been smiling at his sight.

The smile does not leave your lips when you step closer and he wonders for a second if you are visually impaired, until you offer him your hand to shake. Telling him your name, your eyes lock onto him and for only a heartbeat, he forgets to breathe.

That’s the second sign. 

There is no anger in your eyes, no thinly veiled hatred for what he has done. But there is a kind of recognition in them that he knows well. 

He shakes your hand as gently as he can, too aware of how small your hand feels in his. 

“I brought my brother with me.” He stumbles over the words, stepping to the side as well as he can in the cramped space.

That’s the third sign. Your eyes widen at the sight of Shouto, and he spots a little shiver that you try to hide as you offer Shouto your hand as well. 

Oh, well. You are cute, sure, but if you are into his brother, he won’t stand in the way.

-

Two hours later he steps out of the flower shop with a folder and a brand new job, starting tomorrow.

“Do you want to go for Soba?” Shouta asks next to him, seemingly unaffected by the news but phone already in hand, typing away.

Touya’s sure the family group chat is getting all the important information right now.

He looks down at the folder, his name on the official document.

He’s got a job. 

Is this how it feels to be normal? To lead a normal life?

It feels a little weird.

“Sure.” He says instead. “Soba sounds good.”

🌺.

You’re humming a tune when he arrives, smiling when the bell signals his arrival.

“I hope you don’t mind that it’s second-hand.” You tell him, holding out a bundle of green fabric. “But good aprons aren’t cheap and this one’s your size. If you feel uncomfortable with it, I will order a new one.”

“It’s fine.” He slips it on, fighting with the strings in the back. 

“Can I help?” You ask and he nods, teeth clamped together against the uncomfortable feeling of being useless. 

“I’ll go over everything again. If you remember something, feel free to chip in. I know it’s a lot of stuff to remember, especially when you’ve never worked in this field before, so we’ll go over it every morning until you feel comfortable with it.”

The days pass like this. 

You’re here before him, helping him tie that stupid little knot at the back so his apron stays on, leading him through the shop to go over the flowers. 

On Friday he can name almost all of them, only mixing up the gerbera and Coneflower Daisy. He helps you carry out the flowers you choose for the display that day and mans the till the rest of the day where you teach him how to tie ribbons and how to cut stems so that they last longer.

The shop doesn’t get many customers, a few old ladies that are too blind or too polite to recognize him, always choosing the cheapest flowers for the bouquets, cooing when you add a surprise flower without charging for it. 

A few students pass by who buy single-cut flowers or look at the prizes of the bigger plants and skiddle out awkwardly. 

And of course, there are some guys who come in, obviously in the quest of flirting with you, but you’re either too oblivious to get the hints or too polite to act on it. Whatever the case, he throws them menacing looks until they leave.

So far, no one has made a fuss about him being there and he wonders if his new skin grafts are really that good or if people have gotten more polite since he went into therapy.

🌺.

Right now you’re walking up and down the shop, looking over the cut flowers and mumbling to yourself. 

He guesses that whatever you’re coming up with at the end of your mumbling session will involve more learning for him so he leaves you to it and enjoys the chance of getting to look at you.

You don’t dress overly cutesy, not like Toga who loved making herself look younger than she was. The white shirt you’re wearing under your own green apron accentuates your curves even more than the outfit you’d worn on Monday. If only Shouto would come by like he had asked him to, even offering to buy him lunch, but his younger brother’s swamped with work. 

You turn to look at him, catching him in the act of wondering how you managed to make your ponytail look so fluffy. 

“Are you with your family this weekend, Toya-kun?” 

“Uh… yes.” Where’s this going?

“That’s great. How many members does your family have? Including you?”

“Uh, five. My parents, my three siblings, and me.”

“Five? That’s perfect.”

“How so?”

“Oh. There’s something about uneven numbers that feels more comfortable to the human eye. There’s something about unevenness and imperfection that’s comforting.”

Something heavy settles in his gut, but not like the negative feelings he knows. This one feels new and yet familiar, like when you’ve finished a bowl of your favorite food.

“What would you have done if we’d been six people?”

“That’s a lecture for another day.” You tell him, beckoning him over to the cut flowers.

“I allow all my employees to make one free bouquet per week. This will be your first. Pick one flower for each of your family members. Don’t think too much about if they’ll match or not, just go with your gut.”

He huffs and looks at the buckets of flowers. 

There are white lilies and flowers as red as his father’s hair. There are roses and tulips that are a wild mix of red and white. But wouldn’t that be too easy?

He looks again and his eye catches on a deep purple China Aster. Purple used to be the color of royalty, he remembers, and his mother had always felt regal to him.

“This one for my mother.” He says quietly and you take the flower from him.

Next is a bright yellow Gerbera for his father, just because of the dichotomy of it. The flower had always felt passive-aggressive to him, but also cheerful, like someone trying to overcome past aggression by being extra positive. 

A blue silk flower for Fuyumi because blue is her favorite color no matter how much she likes to deny that and lavender for Natsuo because it’s the only medicinal plant he recognizes. Finally, he hands a light pink tulip over, the flower always reminding him of innocence and naivety, something he still connects to his youngest brother.

“You’re missing one flower.” You remind him softly. 

“Oh.” He looks down at them in your hands and laughs awkwardly. “I guess I forgot myself.”

But when he takes in all the flowers, none of them speak to him and he feels himself becoming increasingly frustrated.

“Alright. I’ll allow it this time.” You say softly next to him and he turns, a little confused by your words. 

“Hold out your hand, Toya-kun.” He does and you hold your own hand above it, not touching him but the space between is so small he can feel your presence.

Something heavy drops into his hand and he pulls it down to reveal a thick green bulb with a stem rapidly growing from its end.

“What’s that?”

“A peony. Sadly they’re not in season right now and this little one doesn’t want to show its face yet. You might have better luck in a day or two.” You hand him the other flowers and point at the greenery to the side.

“Now we need all the side characters to complete the picture.” You pull out different things, like Aspidistra and Bear Grass and some Israeli Ruscus Green, calling them the house they lived in, the rooms that housed them, the beds that carried them.

He’s still a little stunned by you showing your quirk like that when you hand him the greenery and point to the table next to the till. 

“Now, make your first Bouquet. You know how to do it but I’ll be there to help if you need me.”

🌺.

“Oh, what a lovely bouquet.” His mother claps a hand to her mouth at the sight of the flowers. “Did you make that yourself?”

“I did, actually.” He feels immensely proud of it and just a little bit awkward about the words that follow, repeating them after you.

“Every flower resembles one of you but you have to guess who’s who.”

Rei studies the bouquet that so obviously lacks white or red and blinks in confusion.

Toya can feel a satisfied smirk growing. You were right. This is kinda fun.

taglist: @misfit-megumi

My Kofi if you want to tip me

[beybuniki]

dabi day!!!

[piedpip3rrr]

PSPSPSPSPS NEW ANIMATIC GO WATCH

[ezariumi]

summer festival.

[all-horikoshi-sketches]

[pjs-everyday]

it's not too late for a summer beach episode, is it? 🥲

[burntsoba]

16 yr old Touya and Keigo + their 13 yr old weirdo friend Tenko 🧡💙🤍

( They’re on their way to pick up Shoto from school )

[eggsdrawings]

home visit 🏠 ft. shiketsu au dabihawks

[katsukistofu]

peaches (you're the cream of the crop)

contents ౨ৎ ⋆ touya todoroki x fem reader. fluff. slightly suggestive. cursing. ⭑ a series of grocery trips after touya is discharged from the hospital gives you both a sense of normalcy you never thought you’d be able to have again.

monday

“put it back.” he wrinkles his nose as you continue to pick out tomatoes from the neat stack in front of you. “i said put it back.”

you stick your tongue out and tie up the bag after you put the last tomato in, dropping it in the cart he was pushing.

“ew.”

you giggle, he was acting like a little kid.

“touyaaa, you have to eat your veggies to grow big and strong.”

“bullshit. all the brat eats is soba and he’s almost taller than me now.” he grumbles. “and tomatoes are fruits.”

“tastes like a veggie.” your hip gently bumps into his after you walk back to him from the vegetables. “and maybe shoto’s taller than you ‘cause he actually listens to me.”

he rolls his eyes at that, and hesitantly reaches for your hand.

he’s still not used to being with you like this, alone, despite knowing you stayed by his side through countless hospital visits he wished he was conscious for.

but it’s okay because you’re here now, soft skin soothing against his rough, charred flesh. you don’t seem to mind though, not even the fact that he tends to holds you a little more tightly than he used to.

touya doesn’t let go of your hand. not once. not when you went to get a napa cabbage, or when you inspected the peaches on sale for any mushy spots.

or even when he lets you drag him to a stand in the freezer aisle where a nice store employee offers you two samples of gyoza, which was surprisingly good considering it was from a brand you’ve never heard of.

you feed touya his share, his eyes wide as he waits for you to finish blowing on it for him before holding it in front of his lips to eat.

not until you ask “can you go get more bags for me touya?” in that soft voice of yours that turns his knees to jelly, does he even consider the idea of releasing you from his grasp. you ran out when you were getting green onions.

turquoise eyes flicker to you, a hint of disappointment in them. he really doesn’t want to let go.

with a quick glance around, it’s obvious the supermarket was practically empty. which made sense, the two of you purposely chose to come on a monday morning.

perfect.

you use the handle of the cart to push yourself on your tippy toes, taking the opportunity to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.

“please?”

he blinks rapidly, ducking his head down as he barely bites back a smile. you had him wrapped around your little finger and you didn’t even know it sometimes.

he’s always been weak for you.

“‘kay. be right back.” and you can’t help the laugh that bubbles up from your throat, knowing he means it this time.

from now on, he’ll always come back to you. to home.

he quickly returns from his trip to the dispenser roll of plastic bags near the checkout line and promptly dumps them in the cart.

“i changed my mind.” he says as he swiftly slips behind you to hug your waist, catching you in the middle of putting a packet of tofu skin in the nearly full cart. a soft weight can be felt on your hair as his chin rests on your head.

you smile, squeezing his forearms. “about what?”

“….i guess i’ll eat tomatoes.”

“awww, for me?”

“only for you.”

friday

— wild geraniums are rich in flower symbolism. they are associated with love, peace, joy, health, fertility, and spirituality.

it was a warm friday afternoon the next time you and touya go shopping.

the shizuoka prefecture had reached a new high today for the month, a sweltering thirty four degrees, and by the time you two get there you’re sweating bullets.

the cold air conditioning blasts you in the face, cooling your sweat as you’re met with the sight of mothers and elderly women bustling around, carts laden with fresh produce to last the next few weeks by cooking warm meals for their families.

he sighs next to you as the both of you stand in silence, enjoying the breeze for just moment longer.

touya grabs a basket for you, since you’re only planning to grab a few things for shoto anyway. a light pink sticky note rests on the palm of your hand, and he watches as you peer at the youngest’s neat handwriting.

a packet of soba noodles, a new pocky flavor, mousse matcha, that he wanted to try with his friends, and a bottle of green tea.

the two of you are in the snack aisle when he texts, touya too busy examining the ingredients of a box of choco-pie to notice you taking your phone out.

shoto [08:51]

Sorry for the late notice, can you please pick up a potted flower?

It’s for mom.

But don’t let Touya-nii pick.

It’s your choice that I trust.

you giggle at his remark, while your fingers fumble for the pen you know is somewhere.

thankfully, touya saves you by magically pulling it out from the depths of your bag, and places it in the palm of your hand.

you whisper a quick thanks and kiss his cheek. his face goes hot the moment you pull away to scribble on the list in your hand.

‘stop by the plant nursery’ is added to your sticky. it was only a block away on the way back to the todoroki house, so touya and you could just swing by really quick after getting shoto’s stuff. due to lack of a hard surface to write on, your writing was kind of messy.

maybe you should’ve asked touya if you could use his chest, but you doubt the grandmas in the aisle over would approve.

a new notification pops up on your screen.

natsuo [09:03]

helloo my favorite future sister-in-law

can u pick up some fish for sashimi pls

pls pls i got an A on my presentation today

touya leans over your shoulder to read the text and fakes a gag. he never liked fish, and eating it raw? no way in hell.

between the four of them inheriting most of their mother’s likeness (fuck whatever his dad’s weak ass excuse for genes was), you’d think they’d also gain her love of warm dishes like oden and niku-jaga.

as the eldest, of course it was his duty to set things straight and comment on his sibling’s questionable tastes.

you [09:04]

ew

you [09:04]

hot soba is better

mission accomplished, touya proudly hands your phone back to you. you bite back a laugh as you read his texts.

how eloquent of him.

natsuo [09:05]

????????

natsuo [09:05]

BITCH

I KNOW THATS YOU TOUYA

you roll your eyes at the two’s antics and grab your boyfriends hand, leading him to the seafood section.

a wide array of fish was displayed before you, and you take a picture of the ones labeled for sashimi.

you [09:10]

which one? :)

natsuo [09:11]

the salmon !!!!!

you [09:12]

ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆

natsuo [09:13]

THANK USOMHCH

I LOV YOU

MORE THANTOUYA

another notification appears as you quickly swipe out of natsuo’s texts before your boyfriend can throw your phone across the supermarket.

fuyumi [09:26]

are you guys at the mart right now?

you [09:27]

we are lol :9

did natsu brag about getting sashimi the moment he got home from his lecture?

fuyumi [09:28]

yeah.

giggling a little, you can almost hear her slightly exasperated tone.

you take a picture of an unsuspecting dabi looking at the frozen steamed buns and he side eyes you after you turn away, already having a sneaking suspicion who you were sending it to.

you [09:28]

touyamakinghearteyesatredbeanbuns.png

fuyumi [09:30]

fatass

you muffle your laughter as touya stalks over to you, swiping the phone out of your hands just as fuyumi texts again.

fuyumi [09:31]

anyways i was going to ask

can you add panko bread crumbs to your cart please?

i wanted make katsudon for you all tonight :>

touya’s types furiously as you hide your face in his chest in a silent fit of laughter.

you [09:32]

only if you take back calling me a fatass, fatass

fuyumi [09:33]

please i’ve hear worse threats from my kindergarteners in the sandbox

you’re almost to the checkout line, before touya stops you.

you don’t even have to take a glance in the direction he’s looking in.

“touya, no.”

“touya, yes.”

he wants to grin so bad but his new staples are still fresh from last week’s surgery.

his mouth settles for a safe pout to win your pity.

unfortunately for him you had an iron will in concerns to his health.

“the nurse said ‘no processed foods for the next thirteen days.’ that includes shrimp chips, dummy.”

your hand around his bicep is firm as you drag him away, and he stares longingly back at the snack aisle.

“where are we going?” he murmurs, the grocery bags that he had insisted carrying in one hand while letting you drag him along in the other.

he makes sure he’s walking on the side of the curb.

you slow your pace to walk beside him and he can hear the teasing smile in your voice.

“to bring a baby home to your mom.”

“okay… wait what?!”

he stares at the potted geraniums in your hands as you exit the plant nursery, eyes flicking up to meet your cheeky grin.

“our baby.”

so that’s what you meant.

you looked a little too pleased with yourself and had somehow gotten a smudge of dirt on your forehead in the process of choosing the perfect flowers for his mother.

he wipes it off with his thumb, and pretends to lick it to see your reaction. your squeals of protest and the way your eyes smile when you laugh make his stomach do a flip.

just like when he met you for the first time.

touya decides anything is worth it as long as he gets to see you make that face. especially pretending eating dirt. fuck the shrimp chips, the only snack he needed was you.

except you weren’t just a snack.

you were a goddamn meal.

he raises an eyebrow and smirks, eyes dancing with mischief as he looks down at you. a firm hand pressed against your belly as he places a painstakingly soft kiss on the spot where the dirt smudge used to be.

“don’t worry.” he breathes. you can feel him smile into the crook of your neck, his fingers caressing your stomach as you squirm ticklishly against him.

“i’ll get you a real one someday.”

you nearly drop the geraniums on his foot.

sunday

today is sunday.

meaning it’s weekly movie night in the todoroki household.

shoto was the one who made it a tradition, after liking it so much when he did it with his classmates. everyone agreed it was the perfect low-effort family bonding activity after a long week.

natsuo just finished taking his finals. you’re relieved not to see him pull anymore all-nighters.

fuyumi’s on summer break. letters from her students written in crayon and covered in silly doodles of her are litter the front of the fridge.

you smile as you pass by it when you’re on on the way to shoto’s room to help him do that little braid he liked on the side of his hair. he was starting to grow it out now.

rei makes sure to volunteer at the local gardening center in the mornings, ensuring her afternoons and evenings are free to spend time with her kids.

enji calls off from work the moment it hits six. his sidekicks at the agency can take care of whatever happens while he’s gone.

touya and you are in charge of buying snacks, and you get everyone’s favorite. after checking out, the two of you head home hand in hand.

you’re snuggled under a blanket with touya. it was shoto’s turn to choose a movie, and the sounds of shrek played as you grew sleepier and sleepier. touya’s warm arms, which had you trapped in his lap, were not helping.

you point at the plate of tuna mayo onigiri on the coffee table. rei and fuyumi had made them earlier while you and him were out at the supermarket.

“remember when you ate so many of those because natsuo dared you to and you got a tummy ache?” he lets out a noise akin to a giggle, and your mouth splits into a grin at the familiar sound.

memories of hot summers sleeping on the floor with the fan on full blast and staying up to see fireflies come flooding back to you.

lying on the roof, you remember him resting his head on your chest while pointing out constellations to you, echoes of shared laughter filling the night air as he’d get them wrong every single time.

the stolen glances at each other between bites of juicy watermelon and soba. his ears turning redder than the slice of fruit in his hands when you catch him staring, the smug look on your face quickly turning into one of concern as he choked on his food and you rushed to pat his back.

in the present, you cuddle up impossibly closer to him, and he shivers as your warm breath hits his neck.

you had really missed this. he did too.

he couldn’t wait to spend the rest of the summer with you.

the rest of his life, too. he wasn’t planning on leaving you alone again, not now, not ever.

with you in his arms, he focuses on the movie, laughing along with shoto as fiona attempts to yank out the arrow in shrek’s butt. he turns to you, a smile tugging at his lips. his hair looks even softer against the glow of the projector.

“would you love me if i turned into shrek?”

you grin, poking his cheek. “i’d miss this pretty face of yours too much.”

"scars and all?"

"scars and all."

he frowns playfully at that despite the butterflies coming to life in his stomach, and leans forward to rest his head against your shoulder. you smirk, catching a whiff of your conditioner. “i knew you only liked me for my looks.”

“shush.” you point at something on the coffee table.

he spots the bag of shrimp chips, not so subtly lighting up.

you must have snuck them onto the conveyor belt while you two were standing in the checkout line when he wasn’t looking.

“i love you so much holy shit.” he whispers, nuzzling into your shoulder.

“i know.”

cue the side eye from him.

you roll your eyes at his dramatics and turn around to straddle his strong thighs, raising your hands to gently hold his face in them.

touya shivers as your thumb brushes against his cheek, your touch sweet like the peaches he shared with you after breakfast that morning.

“i love you too.” you whisper back, just in time before he lifts the blanket up to cover the both of you in the dark as he hungrily leans forward to close the gap between you.

rei’s the first one to notice you two asleep on the couch as the ending credits roll.

she gets another fluffy blanket from the closet to layer on top of the one already on your sleeping forms, making sure you’re both properly covered.

she places a kiss on touya’s forehead, then yours, before hugging the rest of her children goodnight and giving them kisses as well.

enji follows suit, muttering a gruff goodnight to everyone. a chorus of quiet good nights trail after him as he lumbers off.

fuyumi, natsuo, and shoto are the last ones left in the living room.

they smirk knowingly at each other as they see touya squeeze you tighter in his sleep, mumbling something about how lucky he is that you’re his.

something about getting you a ring too.

as the three siblings exit the room, they wordlessly shared one last excited glance before heading separate ways to their respective beds. shoto was especially pleased.

when you started living with them, he could ask you to help braid his hair everyday.

he wants you to teach him when you have the time, too. touya could never get it right like you did when you weren’t here.

at least touya had enough of a grasp on his sense of style to help him pick outfits.

you, obviously, were already a todoroki in all of their hearts.

but they still couldn’t wait for their big brother to grow a pair and tie the knot with you.

[tobumasu]

Happy BDay Kacchan Bakugo! 💥

btw, this drawing is also available as a postcard A5 in my Ko-Fi Shop 👀✨

[dira333]

Passing Peonies - Post War Touya Todoroki - Part IX

When the war ended, Midoriya Izuku had proven one thing: That Villains did not need to be killed to be defeated. That you could make friends from enemies.

Touya Todoroki, formerly known as Dabi, had been one of those taken into the rehabilitation program. After one year of intense physical and psychological therapy, he's got the chance to prove himself. To prove that he can be a part of this world.

Complete fic length: 30.600 words - Masterlist

Warnings: poor mental health and resentment against past actions is mentioned, burn scars etc. as well. There is angst but this is mostly soft Touya coming back to his family...

Part 9: (2k words)

“Todoroki-san?” 

He looks up redecorating the display outside, his thick coat warming him against the winter weather but also cutting him off from seeing the person that has approached him.

He turns to see Shouto’s girlfriend, Momo something. 

“Hi?” It’s not like she hasn’t been here before, but she usually doesn’t come alone.

“Hello. I’d like to buy a bouquet. If that’s possible?” 

He wants to roll his eyes at that question but refrains from doing so.

“Sure. Just head inside.” 

“I-” She stops and looks down at the wooden pieces he’s trying to assemble. He knew the moment he proposed it that building up the display of bird feeders - all looking like miniature homes - was a bad idea. His hands aren’t all that agreeable in the warmth and even worse outside in the cold. But Mari hasn’t stopped giving him the side eye and he’s happy for every chance to get away from her.

“Do you need help with that?” She asks.

“No, it’s supposed to look like that.”

He wonders for a second if she’ll drop it for the sake of politeness but she seems to swallow her nerve.

“I was actually hoping I could talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Shouto.”

He blinks. 

“You want to talk to me about my brother?” 

“Yes.” She nods fervently. “I- When I came over that one night. I mean, when we celebrated… I think it was both the garden and your six-month anniversary, I noticed something.”

“So?”

He knows he’s less than polite to a possible customer and his brother’s girlfriend, but it’s cold, his hands won’t do what he tells them to do and she’s keeping him from doing his actual job to blabber about nonsense.

“We’ve been together for almost a year now and he’s never looked at me like you look at your girlfriend.”

He blinks. She stares back at him with some kind of nervous determination.

He blinks again.

“You got that all wrong.” He huffs and turns back to the bird feeders. “That wasn’t the kind of anniversary we were celebrating.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She blurts out and moves, trying to get him to look back at her again.

“I’m trying to break up with him.” She blurts out yet again and he freezes this time.

“What?”

“Shouto. I’m trying to break up with Shouto. I don’t think he loves me. I mean he thinks he loves me but I doubt he knows what that really means. And it’s hard, because I don’t want to lose him as a friend, but I also feel like he’s using me as a crutch and that’s not fair to any of us.”

“Why would you tell me that?” He asks her. “I don’t want to know that kind of stuff!”

“But-” 

“No.” He drops the pieces back on the display table and rights himself up.

“You can wait here. I’m not the person to talk you out of this.”

-

You look up from the bouquet Mari is clumsily tying together.

“Everything okay?”

“No. Shouto’s girlfriend is here and wants relationship advice.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that. Could you… talk to her?”

You look down at Mari who immediately starts glaring again.

“Mari can help me with the Display.” Touya offers, even going as far as calling her by her actual name. “My hands don’t work outside anyway.”

“Would that be okay, Mari?”

Mari glares wordlessly until she huffs out a breath and shrugs.

“Get your jacket then.” Touya orders rudely and waits for her to slip into the backroom before he mutters a quick warning.

“Just, don’t listen too closely to what she’s saying, okay? She’s mixed up the reason we celebrated and stuff like that.”

“Thank you for that advice, Touya-kun.” You tell him, your voice almost chiding but your eyes twinkling with mirth at his expense.

-

Mari needs half an hour to build up the birdhouses and even less time to decorate them in the way Touya had planned.

Neither you nor Shouto’s girlfriend have stepped out of the shop and he’s blocked off any customers by “politely” telling them that the shop’s a little busy at the moment.

“What now?” Mari asks when everything is assembled and they can still see you at the counter. He hasn’t heard her speak once so it’s a bit of a surprise to hear her now.

“I’m buying you a hot chocolate, coffee, whatever. The more they’re talking the less I have to say.”

“Wow.” She sniffs. “What a great brother.”

“Like I’d be any help. Boss will at least set her head straight. If she still breaks up with him it’s what she really wants to do.”

Mari rolls her eyes and pulls a pack of cigarettes out of her coat jacket, flicking a lighter to life.

The sight of the little flame hits him sudden and hard, like a fist to the soft lining of his stomach or a blow to the back.

“What?” She asks when he keeps staring at her long after she’s clicked her lighter shut.

There’s a weird tingle in his hands and he wonders if he really hasn’t seen a flame since the day his family brought him in.

“Nothing.” He blurts out, forcing his head away to break eye contact with the glowing tip of her cigarette. 

Smoke circles around him and the tingling spreads from his hands up to his shoulders. 

“What do you want?” He asks, following it up with an almost panicked: “To drink, I mean?”

“I don’t care.” She stops in front of the coffee shop. “You can buy yourself something, I’ll just stay outside and have a smoke.”

When he steps inside to get away from her he feels like he did with Fukuhara, the thought of her coming after him pouring shivers down his back.

-

When they get back, Momo’s gone and he must look as out of it as he’s feeling because you put the back of your hand against his temple and tell him to go home and rest.

“You don’t have a fever but I don’t want to risk anything.” You say. “Call someone to pick you up, okay? I don’t want you driving like that.”

He slips into the backroom, the sight of the few plants up for repotting calming him down instantly. His fingers trace the leaves of a Monstera as he waits for someone to pick up, but to his dismay, every member of his family seems busy.

His mother calls him back first, promising to send an Uber his way.

“I’ll get home right away.” She promises. “I can pick you up some Takoyaki on the way, you used to love that as a child when you got sick.”

He wants to say that he’s not five anymore but every time he blinks he sees a flickering flame behind his eyelids and it’s hard to say no to comfort when you’re shaken.

“Thanks.” He mutters instead. “Love you, mom.”

“I love you too, Touya.”

-

The streets outside are busy with people starting their holiday shopping, bumping into him as he waits for the car to arrive.

When it does, he slips inside, only to have the door handle ripped from his hands.

“What the f-” Someone slips in after him, falling into his lap and rolling over until they are seated next to him, grinning like a fool.

“Toga?!” 

“Long time no see.” She says and turns to the driver with a saccharine smile. “You can drive. We’re sharing the ride.”

“No, we’re not.” He disagrees immediately. “What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like?” She cocks her head to look even more adorable. She’s still dressed like a schoolgirl, in a thick woolen blazer and a woolen skirt. “I am allowed to go and meet friends.”

He wants to tell her that they are, in fact, not friends, but there’s an edge to the look she’s giving him that has him fall silent.

“You can drive.” He tells the driver with a sigh and pulls the door closed, throwing one last look back at the flower shop but there are too many people between him and the window to see anything or anyone.

-

“How long have you been working?” Toga asks as soon as the car is back on the road. “They’re not letting me out of therapy long enough to get a job.”

“About six months now.”

“Really? Did you lie to get out faster?”

“I didn’t lie.” He pushes his elbow into her side, mainly to annoy her, but he’s surprised how thin she’s become.

“Are they feeding you enough?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waves him off. “I’m just not in the mood to eat all the time. How’s family?”

“They’re doing good. It’s… It’s kinda nice, to have them around.”

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”

Silence falls over them.

“Did Hawks… Did he come to your therapy as well? Or did they only do that with me?”

“Oh, you mean the joint therapy? Yeah, but I tried to bite him so they have stopped trying that for the moment. My parents signed a restriction order against me, so that’s that, but Ochako comes in every other week.”

“Ochako.” He furrows his brows, trying to picture the girl. “She always buys blush pink roses.”

“Oh yes!” Toga gleams. “They are for me. I love them. She mentioned that you handle them with care so I looked up every flower shop in the city to find you.”

“Are you even allowed to do that?”

“Why shouldn’t I? It was so funny how you freaked out when I called your name last time.”

“That was you?!” This time he puts her in a headlock and she laughs, loudly, as if she knows that he’s not really intent on hurting her.

And he isn’t, really, which surprises him the most, because this might risk everything he’s worked for so far, but this is also Toga, someone he probably knows better than the rest of his family.

They fall silent again, as he lets her go, but it’s more comfortable now.

“I can’t believe you looked me up. I’m not sure if this is even allowed.”

“Is that a problem?” 

“Yeah.” His heart thrums as he thinks of the possible consequences. “If they kick me out of the flower shop-”

“You mean if they take you away from the girl you looove?” 

“Oh, shut up, this is serious.”

“I asked, actually. What I was allowed to do if I saw you… It’s a big city but we could pass each other, you know? They said I was allowed to greet you and talk to you but should keep it to a minimum at first until we know how it affects us.”

“Yeah, and sharing my Uber is minimum?”

“You looked really sad standing there, what was I supposed to do? Leave you to rot in your own misery? What happened, anyway? Did you break up?”

“No!” She eyes him curiously and he lowers his voice again.

“No, not like that. Just… Mari, our new hire, smoked in front of me and I realized I haven’t seen fire since we got taken in. Freaked me out a bit.”

“Is it because of your quirk or are you traumatized because you were essentially burning alive?”

The question surprises him.

“I hadn’t thought of the second option.” He admits.

“Well if I’d been burnt alive, I’d definitely be afraid of fire. Also, is Mari that girl you worked outside with? She’s bad news.”

Her voice takes on a grave tone and he eyes her suspiciously.

“What do you mean? Do you know something?”

“No, just a feeling.”

“You could just be jealous.”

“Nah, she’s not that cute.” 

Toga stops and stares out the window. “Are you driving home?”

“Yeah. My mom probably shouldn’t see you. Where should we let you out?”

“Can we exchange numbers?”

He hesitates and she recognizes it. 

“Never mind.” She tells him brusquely. “We were never friends anyway. You can let me out here.”

In less then a minute, she’s gone.

And he doesn’t know if he should have acted differently.

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My Kofi if you want to tip me

[beybuniki]

picture y/n in a fujo chair in the corner

[leeyztb]

this development means the world to me actually. from that big ass distance to now sitting side by side, comfortable with each other... it makes me so happy 🤭

[kelin-is-writing]

Sorry guys, can’t hear anyone over the huge heart-eyes I have for this man right here 😍🤍

[mielplante]

hotwings kissing to cope with the latest mha chapters ah-ah

[hokusu]

Dabi ✩ S7 EP 06